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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Edamame Burgers with Feta and Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

I'm a huge fan of edamame, and many of you may not realize it, but Virginia grows a good amount of these tasty beans. In fact, Epic Gardens in Richmond, who recently started growing organic edamame, is having a tough time keeping up with the demand. Many people like myself are drawn to edamame as a food source because it's incredibly versatile when it comes to cooking (think: edamame salad, hummus, stews, stir-frys and sautes). Edamame is also super healthy (it's packed with fiber and protein and is low in fat and calories), but best of all, edamame tastes great. I can plow through a bowl of steamed edamame pods sprinkled with sea salt. Pure heaven!

When The Virginia Farm Bureau asked me to come up with a recipe involving edamame for their bi-monthly television show, "Real Virginia", I was all over it, but I wanted to try something a bit different when it comes to cooking this magical bean, one that didn't involve a salad or a spread since there are plenty of recipes like this already available. So, I got to thinking bean burgers. Edamame is a bean, bean burgers are tasty and healthy, so why wouldn't this work?

Since edamame benefits from a good dose of flavor, I also thought, why not give this recipe a Greek burger spin and top it with some salty feta and a dollop of homemade tzatziki sauce? After a few experimental recipe tries, I finally had the recipe down, and even this resident meat eating junkie was pleased with the results (just take a peek around this blog and you'll see how much I revere pork products). In fact, I didn't miss the meat at all in this flavor-jammed burger. Gah! Did I just say that?

To watch me make edamame burgers on the show "Real Virginia", check out this video. For the full recipe, just scroll on down. Enjoy!

Cook the edamame in boiling water for 1 minute. Then drain well and set aside. In a food processor, add edamame along with the rest of the ingredients through to oregano and pulse until blended but not pureed, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides. Then add in the egg whites and continue pulsing until well blended.

Wet your hands with water and form the mixture into individual patties and place them on a sheet pan. Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then, heat the olive oil in a skillet to medium-high. Cook the burgers in the skillet until they are well-browned on each side and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Drain burgers on paper towels and sprinkle with additional salt, if desired.

To serve: Lightly grill or toast the hamburger buns. Then, layer in order: sliced red onions, burger, a slice of feta cheese, a dollop of tzatziki sauce and a sliced tomato.

For the Tzatziki:

Cook’s Note: Double this recipe and serve as a dip or as an accompaniment to pita slices.